Cap-and-Trade: Candidates Closer to Arnold Than CA Dems

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

John Meyers spent some time going through the policy stances of Edwards and Obama with regards to a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is not just those two who favor that approach, Biden and Dodd do as well. Clinton has not talked about the issue, but Richardson has pushed it forward in recent weeks. This is one case where the Democratic nominees are more conservative than mainstream Democrats here in California.

In yesterday's speech by Sen. Barack Obama and today's speech by former Senator John Edwards, there was a small policy point that didn't quite register on first blush.

And that is that Obama and Edwards sound as though they basically agree with Schwarzenegger on the issue of a "cap and trade" system for carbon dioxide emissions.

On Saturday, Obama told the delegates about his stance on energy and environmental issues. And the man from Illinois promised-- if elected-- to enact the same kind of mandatory "cap and trade" program of carbon emissions favored by Schwarzenegger, but viewed with skepticism by many environmentalists, during last year's debate over AB 32.

That portion of Obama's speech, interestingly, received one of the smallest rounds of applause... in a presentation that elsewhere garnered several standing ovations.

Californians may not have one top candidate who is aligned with them on the issue to side with during the primary. It makes it more difficult to talk about environmentalism with activist crowds like they addressed this weekend. California is ahead of much of the country on attitudes towards environmental legislation. It is impressive that not one of the candidates crafted their plan after AB 32 and instead stuck with cap-and-trade.